1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to valves and dispensing devices, and more particularly to a valve for controlling the flow of solid abrasive or corrosive material from one location to another.
2. Prior Art
There are varieties of valves available for particular uses. Exemplary of this art are U.S. Babcock Pat. No. 1,951,121, U.S. Weber Pat. No. 2,544,575, U.S. Ready Pat. No. 2,546,702, U.S. Topping Pat. No. 2,904,228 and U.S. Tometsko Pat. No. 3,504,237. For the handling of abrasive or corrosive materials, the "star feeder" valve has achieved the greatest commercial success.
Problems relating to leakage and corrosion within the valves, as well as, life expectancy of the valve still exist and lead to down time, destruction of other property, or injury to persons handling the valves. In addition, present commercial valves may cause damage to the material passing through them. Another problem is the loss of vacuum in a material transfer system when the material is being passed through the valve. Reduction or elimination of these problems would be of great benefit to various industries including the petrol chemical industry.